I’m thrilled that Dean Reichard invited me to participate in the next iteration of CHAWbaret, the fundraiser for the Capitol Hill Art’s Workshop! We had our first rehearsal this week, and I am awestruck by the talents involved — Katherine McCann, Eileen Warner, Deborah Davidson, Dean Reichard, Dorie Hightower, Ron Squeri, and Matt Howe. All under the terrific music direction of Amy Conley.

Since the show is in October, the theme this year is Magic To Do and it’s great to see the number of interpretations that the artists are providing. And I always love the creative part of the rehearsal process, where so many things are possible! It’s the magic that starts the magic.*

So mark your calendars for our shows, October 16,17,23,& 24 at CHAW. And of course I’ll have more dispatches before then!

*Apologies to those who found themselves with elevated blood sugar after that line.

They’re baaaack!

The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) and the GLBT Arts Consortium are presenting “CHAWbaret 5: Road Trip!” an evening of pop songs, standards, and show tunes that will take you on a trip around the world and back!

“Road Trip!” will be performed on Friday, February 27, Saturday, February 28, Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7 at 8:00 PM at CHAW, 545 7th Street SE (Eastern Market, blue line).

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, available at: http://www.chaw.org or 202-547-6839. (Advance purchase is strongly encouraged for this popular program). Doors open at 7:30pm. Refreshments will be available. Proceeds from the performances benefit CHAW’s and the GLBT Arts Consortium’s missions of building community through the arts.

The evening had a theme of “family” with the performers exploring the theme from all angles — tender, sardonic, heartfelt, and even spooky! All of the performers delivered material in very personal interpretations, and there was a fascinating variety of material. Matt Howe assembled everyone’s contributions in an amazingly cohesive, charming fashion and Alex Tang provided music direction that both supported the needs of individual performers and provided a unifying feel for the evening.

The program repeats Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8.

Here’s what people sang:

Mama Says (Dean Reichard)

Be Kind to Your Parents (Dean Reichard & Catherine Satterlee)

Someone to Watch Over Me (Cahterine Satterlee)

I Won’t Mind (David McMullen)

Way Ahead of My Time (David McMullen)

She’s Always a Woman (Emily Leatha Everson)

I Love to Be Unhappy (Emily Leatha Everson)

Real Emotional Girl (Dean Reichard)

Family Theme (Ensemble)

Live Alone and Like It (Matt Howe)

Hello Again (Matt Howe)

Older Sister (Catherine Satterlee)

My Dogs (David McMullen)

The Story Goes On (Emily Leatha Everson)

Brotherhood of Man (Ensemble)

In one of the more charming moments of the show, Matt took a picture of the audience and performers which he was kind enough to share with this blog. When Matt sends me the photos from the next 2 shows, I sincerely hope there are more people in the house since this is a show that deserves to be seen!!!

The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) and the GLBT Arts Consortium are presenting “CHAWbaret 4: Cabaret Connections” an evening of pop songs, standards, and show tunes about family, friends, and the ties that bind us. “Cabaret Connections” will be performed on Friday, October 24, Friday, November 7, and Saturday, November 8 at 8:00 PM at CHAW, 545 7th Street SE.Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, available at:www.chaw.org or 202-547-6839.(Advance purchase is strongly encouraged for this popular program).Refreshments will be available before the show to facilitate mixing-and-mingling. Proceeds from the performances benefit CHAW’s and the GLBT Arts Consortium’s missions of building community through the arts.

Musical direction is by Alex Tang, who has played for national tours of “Mamma Mia!” and “Lion King”. Tang was pianist-conductor for the Helen Hayes Award-winning production of “Urinetown” (Signature Theatre) and he regularly plays open mics and singers’ showcases for the D.C. Cabaret Network.

The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop is a non-profit, multidisciplinary arts education facility, located on the corner of 7th and G Streets, SE (just two blocks south of Eastern Market). For more information about classes, performances, exhibitions, and programs, visit www.chaw.org.

The GLBT Art Consortium is a voluntary collaboration of varied arts organizations from the Washington, D.C. metro area which works to raise the visibility of GLBT arts.Since 2000, the Consortium has offered a summer production of a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta in CHAW’s black box theater.For more information, visit:www.dcglbtarts.org.

For more information about “CHAWbaret 4: Cabaret Connections,” call CHAW at 202-547-6839 or visit www.chaw.org.

Just got back from catching the first performance of Matt Howe & Dean Reichard’s debut cabaret Double Entendre. Matt and Dean seem to be having a lot of fun, and the show is filled with terrific material. Dean’s People That You Never Get to Love was quite touching, and Matt scored with a beautifully simple Bein’ Green and an uprorious Everybody’s Girl.

Matt Howe and Dean Reichard premier their show Double Entendre this weekend at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW). Look for a lot of fun in the piece directed by Judy Simmons with music direction by Elisa Rosman.